Bengals: Pro Bowl teammate has high expectations for ascending starter
Orlando Brown Jr. has been blessed to play alongside two of the best guards in recent NFL history. Marshal Yanda was to his left when he started out as a right tackle with the Baltimore Ravens, and Joe Thuney was to his right when Brown won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. Having […]
Orlando Brown Jr. has been blessed to play alongside two of the best guards in recent NFL history. Marshal Yanda was to his left when he started out as a right tackle with the Baltimore Ravens, and Joe Thuney was to his right when Brown won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Having that internal support at tackle is critical for playing with confidence against the best edge rushers in the game. Brown will need that when he faces the likes of Myles Garrett twice a year for the next four seasons.
The Cincinnati Bengals are counting on Cordell Volson to be that for him.
Volson earned the starting left guard spot for Cincinnati as a rookie last year and managed well. Entering his second year on the job, his four-time Pro Bowl teammate sees similar potential in him.
"He's got that Pro Bowl potential with his size and mental makeup," Brown said of Volson to Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson. "I think he really uses his height to his advantage. His mindset and his length are two things that are really going to separate him in the long run. I think he has the natural talent and ability to become one of the best in the league at what he does.
"He really loves the game. He studies."
The new duo of Brown and Volson brings an average height of 6'7.5" protecting Joe Burrow's blindside. Height for an offensive lineman usually brings length, and both players have that going for them as well. What Volson needs to master with his added height is leverage, which hindered him in pass protection at times in 2022.
Now that the Bengals are deep in OTA sessions, Volson's list of goals largely has to do with his engagement, and using his physicality to his advantage.
"Better hand placement in pass pro. Better strikes. Better hand fits. Getting into some fits quicker in the run game. Staying rooted. Keeping a good demeanor in the run game."
By going from Jonah Williams to Brown at left tackle, the Bengals' offensive line has already been improved as a unit. Volson displaying growth as a technician to pair with Brown would elevate the line to a place it hasn't been in years.
Cincinnati's status as a Super Bowl contender may hinder on that development.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
